Maine woman remains in critical condition after fatal Dover crash

By JOHN QUINNUnion Leader CorrespondentOctober 08. 2013 12:25PMDOVER - Police identified the drivers involved in a two-vehicle accident which led to the death of a man and seriously injured a woman.Ralph Iovanna, 62, of South Berwick, Maine, was declared dead at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital after his green Lincoln Mark VIII was broadsided by an eastbound, silver Nissan Rouge driven by Kris Sanford-Johnson, 44, of Sanford, Maine, along Route 4, according to police.Police determined the accident occurred when the Lincoln, which was traveling eastbound on Oak Street, drove onto Portland Avenue.Police, firefighters and emergency personnel responded around 7:45 p.m.Fire Chief Richard Driscoll said both drivers, the sole occupants in their vehicles, were alive at the scene but had sustained serious injuries from the crash.Driscoll said firefighters were able to remove both drivers from passenger side doors. He said off-duty firefighters provided station coverage to allow crews to work at the scene.“With trauma patients, time is of an essence,” Driscoll said. Dover ambulance crews transported both drivers to the hospital, where Iovanna succumbed from his injuries.As of Tuesday morning, Sanford-Johnson remained in critical condition at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, according to police.Members of the Dover Police Technical Accident Reconstruction Unit and Special Investigations Bureau continue to investigate the accident.“The investigation is very active and at this point it would be premature to release a cause. All aspects are being looked into to include but not limited to speed, driver impairment, driver inattention, mechanical issues, weather conditions and lighting,” Police Capt. Bill Breault said.After the accident, police from Dover and Rollinsford detoured traffic around the scene as Route 4, also known as Portland Avenue, and Oak Street were partially closed for several hours, according to Breault.